Device for handling baby chicks and the like

ABSTRACT

A device for handling baby chicks and the like consisting of two parts cooperable together to form a container serving to receive a multiplicity of baby chicks at the hatchery and to contain the chicks for unitary handling during transportation from the hatchery to the chicken house and subsequent positioning in supported relation on the floor of the chicken house, the top part being removable from the bottom part after the cooperating parts are positioned in the chicken house to liberate the chicks in supported relation on the bottom part, the latter providing means for receiving feed for sustaining the growth of the chicks for an initial period within the chicken house, the parts in cooperating relation providing stacking means for stably supporting a plurality of like cooperating parts in stacked relation during transportation, each part being freely nestable within like parts for convenient storage and return transportation.

United States Patent Herolzer DEVICE FOR HANDLING BABY CHICKS AND THE LIKE Ralph II. Hernia/er, Cincinnati, Ohio Vanguard Industries, Inc, Cincinnati, Ohio Filed: Jan. 22, 1971 Appl. No.: 108,769

Inventor:

[73] Assignee:

US. Cl ..220/97 F, 229/6 A Int. Cl. ..B6$d 21/04, 865d l 1/00 Field of Search ..220/4 E, 4 R, 97 R, 97 F;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 962,354 7/ 1965 Great Britain ..220/97 F f T T T T T [451 Oct. 10,1972

Primary Examiner-George E. Lowrance Attomey-Cushman, Darby & Cushman [57] ABSTRACT A device for handling baby chicks and the like consist ing of two parts cooperable together to form a container serving to receive a multiplicity of baby chicks at the hatchery and to contain the chicks for unitary handling during transportation from the hatchery to the chicken house and subsequent positioning in supported relation on the floor of the chicken house, the top part being removable from the bottom part after the cooperating parts are positioned in the chicken house to liberate the chicks in supported relation on the bottom part, the latter providing means for receiving feed for sustaining the growth of the chicks for an initial period within the chicken house, the parts in cooperating relation providing stacking means for stably supporting a plurality of like cooperating parts in stacked relation during transportation, each part being freely nestable within like parts for convenient storage and return transportatio N 5 Clains, 5 Drawing figures loooooooooooo 9 O O O O O 0 5 511: L 2 jjjl fg .14,? /2 \40 36 1 40 C5 NOO OOOO 34 000000000 20 5 3 1111i if: i" t: 51 i i-1i: if: 1": i 3 2 T22 42 PATENTED BUT I 0 I972 SHEET 1 BF 2 ay/2y OOOOOOOO O 000 ATTORNEYS FATENTEDBBT 10 m2 SHEET 2 BF 2 a n 00% @000 DEG O G O E 0 0 Q o o o 0 0 0 o o o 0 o o o o o 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 o o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 o o 0 0 o o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 m 6 0 o o N O O 0 0 o o O O O o 0 o 6 O G O o o o o o o O 0 0 o 0 0 0 fi o O o 11111 n o a 0.00% d w u 4 M INVENTOR P04 P H /[/?0L 25 ATM )RNEYS' DEVICE FOR HANDLING BABY CHICKS AND THE LIKE This invention relates to the handling of baby chicks and the like, and more particularly to an improved device for handling baby chicks.

It is conventional practice in the art of raising chickens for the operator of the chicken house to purchase from a hatchery baby chicks to be raised in the chicken house. There are many problems incident to the handling of the chicks, both at the hatchery, during transportation from the hatchery to the chicken house, and in the chicken house, which contribute to chick fatalities and consequently the value of the ultimate product produced by the chicken raiser from his initial investment in baby chicks. It has long been recognized that chick fatality can be best minimized by minimizing the handling of the chicks, both in the hatchery, during transportation and in the chicken house.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for handling baby chicks which minimizes handling manipulations necessary, minimizes the severity of the handling operations necessary, while at the same time providing a favorable economy in the handling procedure.

. This objective is obtained in accordance with the principles of the present invention by providing a device of two-part construction made of molded plastic material so as to be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and yet durable in operation and readily machine cleaned. The two parts are cooperable together to provide a container for receiving a multiplicity of baby chicks at the hatchery and safely containing the multiplicity of baby chicks supplied therein during trans portation from the hatchery to the chicken house and during the positioning of the chicks into supported relation in the floor of the chicken house. The device minimizes the handling manipulations required by providing for the loading of the chicks into the container while the parts thereof are disposed in cooperating relation and the unloading or liberation of the chicks at the chicken house simply by removing the top part of the device from the bottom part. The device provides for efficient handling of the chicks while contained therein by including means for facilitating the stacking of a plurality of containers in stably stacked relation during transportation, the stacking means insuring adequate ventilation during transportation as well as favorable ride characteristics to the chicks. Each part of the device is constructed so as to freely nest within like parts, thus achieving economy of space in terms of both storage and return transportation when empty.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for handling baby chicks which embodies the features and advantages set forth above.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a device for handling baby chicks which is simple in construction and operation, and economical to manufacture and maintain.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent during the course of the following detailed description and appended claims.

The invention may best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein an illustrative embodiment is shown.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away, of two devices embodying the principles of the present invention, the parts of the device being shown in assembled cooperating relation and the devices being shown in stacked relation;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the bottom part of the device;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the top part of the device;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 2, illustrating two bottom parts of the device disposed in nested relation; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 taken along the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is shown therein a device for handling baby chicks or the like, generally indicated at 10, which embodies the principles of the present invention. The device 10 consists of two parts, a bottom part, generally indicated at 12, and a top part, generally indicated at 14. In the preferred embodiment of the device I0, as shown, both parts 12 and 14 are molded of one-piece construction by conventional molding techniques and practices utilizing a suitable rnoldable plastic material. Any of the well known plastic materials may be utilized, a preferred material being polyethylene.

As best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the bottom part 12 includes a generally rectangularly shaped bottom wall portion 16 having four integrally joined side wall portions 18 integrally connected with the periphery thereof and extending upwardly and outwardly therefrom. As shown, the side wall portions terminate in a peripheral free edge structure, indicated at 20 The bottom wall portion 16 is disposed generally in a horizontal plane and has an annular barrier or partition 22 extending upwardly from the central area thereof. As shown, the annular partition is of elliptical configuration in plan having an inverted U-shaped cross-sectional configuration with the legs of the U diverging downwardly. The vertical extent of the partition is slightly less than the vertical extent of the side wall portions 18, the partition providing multiple functions in the operation of the device, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the bottom part 12 is constructed so as to freely nest within like bottom parts for the purpose of convenient storage and return transportation. To this end, it will be noted that the inclined disposition of the side wall portions, as well as the construction of the annular partition 22, permits such nesting relation. In order to prevent two like bottom parts 12 from becoming wedged into nested relation and to maintain the same in freely nested relation, the bottom part is provided with vertically spaced nesting stop surface means facing vertically in opposite directions. One of these surface means is provided by the upwardly facing annular surface, indicated at 24, of the annular partition 22. The downwardly facing nesting stop surface means is provided by the lower horizontally surfaces 26 of a plurality of annularly spaced vertically extending ribs 28 formed in the upper interior of the annular partition 22. With reference to FIG. 4, it will be noted that when two bottom parts 12 are disposed in nested relation one within the other, the lower surfaces 26 of the uppermost bottom part engage the upwardly facing annular surface 24 of the annular partition 22 of the lowermost bottom part thus maintaining the inclined walls of the two parts in slightly spaced relation and insuring against wedge interengagement in the nested position.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, the preferred embodiment of the top part 14, as shown, includes a top wall portion 30 of generally rectangular configuration in plan having four integrally interconnected side wall portions 32 integrally interconnected with the periphery of the top wall portion and extending downwardly and outwardly therefrom. The side wall portions terminate in a peripheral edge structure 34 which is of generally inverted U-shaped cross-sectional configuration. This peripheral free edge structure is complementary with the peripheral free edge structure 20 of the bottom part, enabling the two parts to be assembled together in cooperating relation, with the peripheral free edge structure 20 of the bottom part engaging within the peripheral edge structure 34 of the top part 14.

When disposed in cooperating relation, the two parts 12 and 14 from a container for receiving and containing a multiplicity of baby chicks. ln order to permit the container to be filled with baby chicks while the two parts are disposed in cooperating relation, the top wall portion 30 of the top part is provided with a pair of spaced chick loading openings 36 formed in the central area thereof. These openings are of a size to permit the passage of a plurality of baby chicks through each opening vertically downwardly therethrough into the interior of the container. The vertical dimension of the interior of the container is such that the baby chicks can not escape vertically upwardly through the openings 36 when contained within the cooperating parts.

The openings 36 provide for the passage of air into and out of the interior of the container. To further aid in the circulation of air into and out of the interior of the container, the side wall portions 34 and the peripheral area of the top wall portion of the top part 14 are formed with a plurality of vent openings 38. While these vent openings may take any desired form, as shown, each vent openings is circular in configuration. The vent openings 38 are grouped in staggered rows.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, the device is provided with means for stably supporting a plurality of devices in vertically stacked relation as, for example, during transportation. In the preferred embodiment shown, the stacking means includes upper and lower stacking elements 40 and 42 formed respectively on the top and bottom parts 14 and 12. The essential characteristics of the stacking elements are that when a plurality of devices 10 are disposed in stacked relation, the upper stacking elements of each device will cooperatively interengage the lower stacking elements of each device disposed thereabove so as to prevent relative horizontal movement between the devices in the stack and to maintain the top wall portion 30 of each device in vertically spaced relation to the bottom wall portion 16 of the device disposed thereabove to thereby insure passage and circulation of air through the loading openings and vent openings in the top wall portion of each device in the stack.

In the preferred embodiment shown, the upper stacking elements 40 comist of upstanding projections in the form of elongated ribbed flanges extending along the corners of opposite sides of the top wall portion 30 of the top part 14. The lower stacking elements consist of sockets or recesses formed in the juncture between the bottom wall portion 16 and side wall portions 18 of the bottom part 12 at positions thereon corresponding to the position of the upper stacking elements. As best shown in FIG. 1, the vertical dimension of the upper stacking elements 40 is greater than the vertical dimension of the lower stacking element 42 to insure a vertically spaced relation between the top wall portion of each device in the stack and the bottom wall portion of each device disposed thereabove. Moreover, the projection-socket relationship between the cooperating stacking elements provides interengaging vertical surfaces preventing relative horizontal movement between adjacent devices in a stack, thus insuring that the stack is stable during transportation as well as sufficiently ventilated.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention the top part 14, like the bottom part 12, is constructed so as to be freely nestable within a like top part for convenient storage and return transportation. Here again, it will be noted that the inclined disposition of the side wall portions of the top part permits such a nesting relation. ln order to prevent two like parts [4 from becoming wedged into nested relation and to maintain the same in freely nested relation, the top part is likewise provided with vertically spaced nesting stop surface means facing vertically in opposite directions. One of these surface means is provided by the upwardly facing surfaces, indicated at 44, provided by the upper stacking elements 40. The other stop surface means is provided by the downwardly facing surfaces, indicated at 46, of the top wall portion at positions disposed directly below the upper stacking elements 40.

It can be seen that the stacking elements perform the multiple functions of (l) stabilizing a stack of devices, (2) maintaining the devices in the stacks in vertically spaced relation to insure proper ventilation, and (3) by virtue of their location at the corners of the device, provide the bottom wall portions of the devices with a desirable flexibility or resilience which materially enhances the ride characteristics during transportation. With respect to the flexibility or resiliency of the bottom wall portion of the device, it will be noted that the annular partition 22 provides a degree of rigidity to the bottom wall enabling the same to be formed with a wall thickness which otherwise would provide excessive flexibility, thus minimizing material. The annular partition 22 functions during transportation to segregate the baby chicks within the interior of the device into separate groups preventing excessive crowding of all the chicks which may lead to suffocation.

From the above it is evident that the device 10 of the present invention provides distinct advantages, both in the loading of baby chicks therein at the hatchery and in the transportation of the baby chicks from the hatchery to the chicken house. The device 10 of the present invention is particularly advantageous in the handling of the chicks once they have been transported to the chicken house and in the subsequent storage and return transportation of the parts of the device from the chicken house to the hatchery. In this regard, once the device has been transported to the chicken house with a supply of baby chicks therein, the entire device is then positioned on the floor of the chicken house. The operator then simply lifts the top part from the bottom part and the latter provides a station for sustaining the growth of the baby chicks for an initial period within the chicken house. The annular partition 22 serves as an effective feed ring to receive feed for sustaining the growth of the baby chicks. During this growth a certain amount of the feed will be displaced from the annular partition but the peripheral side wall portions provide a secondary barrier against the loss of feed onto the floor of the chicken house. In normal operation it is contemplated that the top parts removed from the bottom parts as aforesaid would then be nested together and transported back to the hatchery for re-use. in view of the fact that bottom parts are utilized during an initial period in the growth of the baby chicks within the chicken house, the device of the present invention would be marketed in sets including one top part and several bottom parts, as for example, five. After the initial period of growth the bottom parts are removed from the floor of the chicken house, nested together and transported back to the hatchery where they are run through mechanical cleaning equipment. ln this regard it will be noted that the construction of the bottom parts is such as to facilitate cleaning with mechanical equipment.

lt thus will be seen that the objects of this invention have been fully and effectively accomplished. It will be realized, however, that the foregoing preferred specific embodiment has been shown and described for the purpose of illustrating the functional and structural principles of this invention and is subject to change without departure from such principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modifications encompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

lclaim:

l. A device for handling baby chicks or the like comprising a bottom part molded of plastic material of generally rectangular configuration in plan, said bottom part including a generally horizontally extending bottom wall portion and a peripheral wall portion extending generally upwardly and outwardly from the periphery of said bottom wall to permit a plurality of similar bottom parts to be nested one within the other, said bottom part including vertically spaced upwardly and downwardly facing nesting stop surface means operable when said bottom part is disposed in nested relation with similar bottom parts to engage the downwardly and upwardly facing nesting stop surface means of the similar bottom parts disposed respectively above and below said bottom part to thereby insure a free nesting relationship, a cooperating top part molded of plastic material of generally corresponding rectangular configuration in plan, said top part including a horizontally extending top wall portion and a peripheral wall portion extending generally downwardly and outwardly from the periphery of said top wall portion to permit a plurality of similar top parts to be nested one within the other, said top part including vertically spaced upwardly and downwardly facing nesting stop surface means operable when said top part is disposed in nested relation with similar top parts to engage the downwardly and upwardly facing nesting stop surface means of the similar top pans disposed respectively above and below said top part to thereby insure a free nesting relationship, the peripheral wall portions of said parts including cooperating peripheral edge structures adjacent the free edges thereof operable to engage in response to the vertical movement of said parts together and to support said top part on said bottom part against relative horizontal movement to thereby form a relatively stable transporting container, said top wall portion having opening means therein of a size sufficient to permit baby chicks to be lowered into the interior of the container, the bottom and top wall portions of said parts being spaced vertically a distance sufficient to retain baby chicks within the container against escape through said opening means, each of said parts having a plurality of correspondingly horizontally spaced stacking elements adjacent the peripheral wall thereof operable in response to the formation of a vertical stack of similar containers to provide supporting interengagernent between the stacking elements of the bottom and top parts of adjacent containers, said stacking elements providing surfaces having a vertical component of extent operable when a plurality of similar containers are disposed in vertical stacked formation to provide horizontal stability to the stacked formation, the vertical extent of the stacking elements of said top part from the top wall portion thereof being different than the vertical extent of the stacking elements of said bottom part from the bottom wall portion thereof so as to maintain the chick loading opening means in the top wall portion of each container when in stacked formation substantially unrestricted to the flow of air therethrough by the bottom part supported thereabove in the stacked formation, the peripheral wall portion of said top part including a plurality of openings therein for supplementing the passage of air into and out of the interior of the container.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the stacking elements of said top part comprise projections extending upwardly from said top wall portion adjacent the corners of two opposite sides thereof, said projections having upwardly facing surfaces constituting the upwardly facing nesting stop surface means of said top part, the downwardly facing nesting stop surface means of said top part including the interior surface areas of said top wall portion disposed vertically below said projections.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said bottom part includes an annular partition formed in the central area of said bottom wall portion, said partition being of generally inverted U-shaped cross-sectional configuration with the downwardly diverging legs.

4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said annular partition is of elliptical configuration in plan.

5. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said annular partition includes a plurality of annular spaced vertical ribs formed on the interior thereof, said ribs providing downwardly facing surfaces spaced above said bottom wall portion constituting the downwardly facing nesting stop surface means of said bottom part, said annular partition including an upper annular surface constituting the upwardly facing surface means of said bottom part. 

1. A device for handling baby chicks or the like comprising a bottom part molded of plastic material of generally rectangular configuration in plan, said bottom part including a generally horizontally extending bottom wall portion and a peripheral wall portion extending generally upwardly and outwardly from the periphery of said bottom wall to permit a plurality of similar bottom parts to be nested one within the other, said bottom part including vertically spaced upwardly and downwardly facing nesting stop surface means operable when said bottom part is disposed in nested relation with similar bottom parts to engage the downwardly and upwardly facing nesting stop surface means of the similar bottom parts disposed respectively above and below said bottom part to thereby insure a free nesting relationship, a cooperating top part molded of plastic material of generally corresponding rectangular configuration in plan, said top part including a horizontally extending top wall portion and a peripheral wall portion extending generally downwardly and outwardly from the periphery of said top wall portion to permit a plurality of similar top parts to be nested one within the other, said top part including vertically spaced upwardly and downwardly facing nesting stop surface means operable when said top part is disposed in nested relation with similar top parts to engage the downwardly and upwardly facing nesting stop surface means of the similar top parts disposed respectively above and below said top part to thereby insure a free nesting relationship, the peripheral wall portions of said parts including cooperating peripheral edge structures adjacent the free edges thereof operable to engage in response to the vertical movement of said parts together and to support said top part on said bottom part against relative horizontal movement to thereby form a relatively stable transporting container, said top wall portion having opening means therein of a size sufficient to permit baby chicks to be lowered into the interior of the container, the bottom and top wall portions of said parts being spaced vertically a distance sufficient to retain baby chicks within the container against escape through said opening means, each of said parts having a plurality of correspondingly horizontally spaced stacking elements adjacent the peripheral wall thereof operable in response to the formation of a vertical stack of similar containers to provide supporting interengagement between the stacking elements of the bottom and top parts of adjacent containers, said stacking elements providing surfaces having a vertical component of extent operable when a plurality of similar containers are disposed in vertical stacked formation to provide horizontal stability to the stacked formation, the vertical extent of the stacking elements of said top part from the top wall portion thereof being different than the vertical extent of the stacking elements of said botTom part from the bottom wall portion thereof so as to maintain the chick loading opening means in the top wall portion of each container when in stacked formation substantially unrestricted to the flow of air therethrough by the bottom part supported thereabove in the stacked formation, the peripheral wall portion of said top part including a plurality of openings therein for supplementing the passage of air into and out of the interior of the container.
 2. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein the stacking elements of said top part comprise projections extending upwardly from said top wall portion adjacent the corners of two opposite sides thereof, said projections having upwardly facing surfaces constituting the upwardly facing nesting stop surface means of said top part, the downwardly facing nesting stop surface means of said top part including the interior surface areas of said top wall portion disposed vertically below said projections.
 3. A device as defined in claim 1 wherein said bottom part includes an annular partition formed in the central area of said bottom wall portion, said partition being of generally inverted U-shaped cross-sectional configuration with the downwardly diverging legs.
 4. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said annular partition is of elliptical configuration in plan.
 5. A device as defined in claim 3 wherein said annular partition includes a plurality of annular spaced vertical ribs formed on the interior thereof, said ribs providing downwardly facing surfaces spaced above said bottom wall portion constituting the downwardly facing nesting stop surface means of said bottom part, said annular partition including an upper annular surface constituting the upwardly facing surface means of said bottom part. 